Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking to help protect the Gaelic language in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Under the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, the preservation and protection of the Scottish Gaelic language is a devolved matter.

The Scottish Government published their second Gaelic language plan in 2016 (for 2016-2021) which outlines their commitment to support the use of the language in its operations and also how to support other public services to fulfil their own commitments to Gaelic.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works to support minority languages through its work on the creative industries strand of the British Irish Council. This includes working with the devolved administrations to support minority languages, share best practice, and nurture more diverse UK audiences, including through minority language publications.

DCMS officials also work with MG Alba (Gaelic Media Scotland who jointly own BBC Alba with the BBC) on a number of different issues to support the Gaelic language.